I died and was reincarnated as Warship in a fantasy world

The sea waves were lightly rocking the ship.

The steady humming of a steam engine calmed the sailors, as they approached the unknown.

The crew of battleship ‘La Gracia Real’ were anticipating the crossing of the Abysmo. A hole in the ocean floor where all kinds of dreads lurked below the surface.

They shall be the first to reach the other side of the ocean, and tell their fellow citizens about the miracles beyond.

Captain Emmanuel lit up the tobacco in his pipe, and peered into the distance.

All guns are loaded. All sailors are ready fight at any moment. All sails are set.

Whatever may happen, the ship shall not be stopped.

At the command of His Imperial Majesty, the ship must not be stopped.

Another day has passed, and many more shall. The sun was already high in the sky, signalizing that the noon has passed.

Emmanuel was studying the maps to make sure they do not sail off course.

“Señor Capitán, we saw a smoke in the distance.” An aide peeked from the entrance.

“I will be there in a moment.”

After the captain finished checking the course, he walked out to the deck.

The smoke was clearly visible, and was approaching rapidly.

‘To think there would be a moving smoke…? It can’t be…’ His suspicion was soon confirmed.

Three ships were approaching from the distance. Their sails were down, and they were emitting pillars of smoke.

Could it be they rely on their steam engines so much they arrogantly believe the sails would not be necessary…?

The unknown battleships were rapidly approaching.

“Rudder to the starboard!”

The battleship started turning to show their side to the group of ships. They are going to show their guns and their size to intimidate the possible opponents. This diplomatic grease makes any hothead think more diplomatically.

The ships started turning too.

Now that they were closer, the captain clearly saw that they possess almost no guns. But the ships are made of steel.

The Empire’s dream afloat. A battleship that is not an ironclad but a true metal ship. For now, few experiments were made, and even though the portion of steel used during the construction is constantly increasing, the true metal ships are but a distant dream.

But not to those who made these three beauties.

The slim lines of the hulls. The elegant simplicity of the masts. The size of the ships.

“They are perfect…”

As the captain exhaled his emotions, his attention was caught by flashes of light.

The observers already started writing down the signals, and soon they will decrypt.

“Load powder. We will do a salute of blank shots.” At the captain’s order, seven guns were loaded.

“What the hell are they doing…?” I asked Patricia.

“Like I know? Who those guys are?” I petted the girl. Her tear-stained cheeks barely dried but she was back at the post. A commendable feat for someone who almost wetted herself.

Bom Bom Bom Bom Bom Bom Bom

The moment I saw the smokes coming from the ironclad, I steered to the port side.

Before the turrets of the destroyers turned to engage, I saw that no cannonballs hit the water.

“Second and third pennants, fire a blank shot into the sky.”

Bang Bang

After exchanging salutes, both my squadron and the ironclad maintained steady course. The ironclad started slowing down, and I saw that the people on their deck started waving unknown signal flags.

I holstered my own signal flags and ordered to slow down.

The four ships steadily came to stop, almost perfectly maintaining the ‘formation’ we had during our mutual examination.

The ironclad immediately started lowering a boat. I signaled them that it is unnecessary.

“Patricia, can you look after Yuriko? I will go and do some business.”

“D-don’t be away for long… I… Never mind… “ I petted her once again, and jumped off the ship.

The few hundred meters were crossed very fast, and I jumped on the ironclad’s deck.

When I raised my head, I saw that rows of rifles were aimed at me.